Cases and Projects on Virtual Exchange and Intercultural Competences

Karoliina Niemelä

Senior Lecturer, Master of Arts, Oulu University of Applied Sciences, School of Media and Performing Arts, Finland

Master of Arts Karoliina Niemelä works as a lecturer in the field of visual design at Oamk, Oulu University of Applied Sciences. Her longer-term work experience before joining Oamk was to work in Nokia's mobile phone development department as a graphic designer. She has been a partner in Cooperation Waria since 2004 and has done traditional visual design and art projects such as community, environmental and media projects. Today, her passion is working on interdisciplinary performing arts projects as a media artist.

Claudia Röschmann

Associate Director for Design Innovation, Texas State University, United States of America

Claudia Röschmann is a Professor in the Communication Design program in the School of Art and Design and Associate Director for Design Innovation in the Materials Applications Research Center (MARC). She was head of the Communication Design program from 2014 to 2020, and as graduate advisor directed the MFA program from 2010 to 2020. She brings 20+ years of international design experience and strategic entrepreneurial thinking to the university where she teaches human-centered design and design entrepreneurship. She also serves as the founder of the Design for America studio on campus, and is the co-founder of the 1 Million Cups Greater San Marcos TX community. Claudia gets very excited about international and cross-disciplinary projects, and speaks at conferences about design thinking and digitally engaged learning. Originally from Germany, she moved to New York in the 90s to work for Vignelli Associates before moving to Austin with her husband, where she runs ROESCHMANNdesign, a design studio focused on brand experiences for non-profit clients. Claudia loves to travel (preferably by sailboat, bike or foot) so she can spend time in bookstores and museums.

Richard Powers

Online Operations & Learning Designer for Virtual Exchange, University of Stuttgart (Professional School of Education), Germany

A well-known and recognized e-Learning expert, Prof. Emer. Richard Powers is currently a Professor, Trainer and Learning Designer with the University of Stuttgart in Germany, where he teaches blended learning courses to develop competences in digitalization and diversity for pre-service teachers across five universities. He is an EU eTwinning Ambassador for Germany.

He teaches Universal Design for Learning (UDL), Project-Based Learning with eTwinning & Erasmus+ for Interculturality, and Digital Accessibility. Prof. Powers won the 2022 Teaching Award for Excellence at Stuttgart University, receiving Euro 10.000 for his research and future projects.

Remotely, Professor Powers develops, implements and evaluates UDL and synchronous "online-live" training programs for 4,000 faculty at City Colleges of Chicago.

He routinely teaches and trains faculty in Stuttgart and Chicago how to teach online with Moodle, ILIAS and Brightspace in webinars via Webex and Zoom. His DAAD and eTwinning/Erasmus+ virtual exchange & blended mobility classes involve student teachers from Germany, Turkey, the Ukraine, North Macedonia, France, Spain, Italy, Romania, Bulgaria and Nepal.

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Channa van der Brug

International Affairs Programme Manager, Hochschulforum Digitalisierung for Stifterverband, Germany

Channa van der Brug is the International Affairs Programme Manager at Hochschulforum Digitalisierung and also supports the European Commission’s Digital Education Hub for Stifterverband. She has more than 20 years of experience in the education sector and a passion for the role of technology in shaping the future of education. Her main focus is on facilitating international exchanges of effective digital teaching and learning practices. She is particularly keen on empowering students and leveraging the influence of European university alliances as catalysts for educational innovation and change.

Stifterverband is a joint initiative of companies and foundations with around 3,000 members – from DAX companies to SMEs to associations, donors and private individuals. It is devoted to consulting, networking and promoting improvements the fields of education, science and innovation. Hochschulforum Digitalisierung, the German Forum for Higher Education in the Digital Age, was founded in 2014 and supports universities in shaping the digital transformation. It is a joint initiative of Stifterverband, the CHE Centre for Higher Education Development and the German Rectors' Conference (HRK) and is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research.

Project-Based Learning with eTwinning & Erasmus+ for Interculturality, Richard Powers

This presentation will inspire corporate trainers and professors/teachers in universities and schools to include transnational projects in their courses.

Digital, open platforms allow for contact and networking in ways new since the pandemic.

In the 12-week blended learning course "Project-Based Learning with eTwinning & Erasmus+ for Interculturality," for Master’s in Education pre-service teachers in Germany, participants find international partners, and then plan, develop and implement an international collaborative project between two European institutions over the TwinSpace digital platform.

Apart from eTwinning training, theoretical training in project-based learning and interculturality, the authentic assessment in the course provides valuable background for pre-service teachers so they are able to support eTwinning projects when they become teachers.

Overview

Discover innovative ways to motivate online learners, moving away from typical "discussion-post" types of online courses.
Design courses using project-based learning templates
Blend learning design components of theory and authentic assessments through Universal Design for Learning principles.

Bridging Divides: A Virtual Study Abroad, Claudia Röschmann, Karoliina Niemelä

This presentation is about a case study of a virtual “study abroad” experience between Finnish and American students and gives insights into the strengths of global virtual classrooms.

A year into the pandemic, the faculty from a Finnish and a U.S. higher education institution won a grant to implement the “Finnish and American Art & Design Innovation Exchange” project. The goals was to increase the collaboration between American and Finnish students, promote innovation and entrepreneurship, and expose Finnish students to American art and culture and vice versa.

The kick-off for the exchange program was a two-day virtual workshop, five weeks into the semester, that engaged 42 students in collaborative projects and allowed them to reflect on cultural differences throughout the processes of framing a challenge, working through the problem, and implementing a solution.

The cross-cultural collaboration project focused on global change through art and design innovation. Students were guided on embracing inclusivity, diversity and different perspectives through these processes – while also overcoming barriers such as language and time zone constraints.

The outcomes from this case study can provide insight into the strengths of a virtual “study abroad” experience. It addresses how to recognize and cultivate those strengths within virtual elective settings and classrooms. It will share the students’ impressions and reflections,

This project has highlighted the best aspects of the remote teaching model that we were all forced to jump in, and showcases how students have embraced remote teaching over the past two years because of Covid-19 restrictions.

Additionally, it will explore ways to champion virtual learning characteristics and advocate for the continuation and expansion of global virtual classroom and workshop experiences to enable all students to become stronger world citizens.